Longhorns,

We have had tremendous achievements happening at Lennard High School, and your administrative team wants to take a special moment to thank each of our students, staff, and families for these events over the past week. Please take a moment to read through our Stampede of Excellence this week to recognize this hard work. We know that all of our Longhorns will continue our Stampede of Excellence through semester two.

Parents, please take a moment to update your personal calendars for the spring semester. We have noted many upcoming dates below, after the Week at a Glance. Parents of the senior class, there are additional senior class only dates listed in the seniors section of this newsletter.

The mindset focus, of our 7 Mindsets program, for the month of February is, Attitude of Gratitude. Students will learn more about this mindset on Club Day in February.  There are parent resources in this newsletter for you to reinforce this mindset at home.

Thank you again to the many families that helped to stock our Longhorn Loot (PBIS) store, we were open on Friday, January 30th, and the students enjoyed cashing in their points for new items. Our wish list has been updated with many NEW items.  We are specifically looking for gift cards in the amount of ten dollars. Some gift cards are listed on our Amazon wish list, or you may purchase on your own and drop them off to the main office in the care of Leslie Windheuser, Success Coach. Click here PBIS Store Wishlist to purchase items for our store.

If you would like to volunteer to help us on store days, please email leslie.windheuser@hcps.net to sign up. Our next store dates are February 6th and February 20th. Store hours are 11:00 am to 2:00 pm during our lunch periods.  Thank you in advance for your consideration in making our Longhorn Loot store a huge success for our students.

Parents, as you plan ahead, Friday, February 13, 2026, is Family Day at the Florida State Fair and a non-student day. The Florida State Fair Authority has communicated the following policy: Persons 17 years of age or younger will receive free admission to the Florida State Fair on February 13, 2026, until 5:00 p.m. with an admission paying parent or guardian, 21 years of age or older with a valid ID.   

Let's continue our Stampede of Excellence, Longhorns!

Your Administration Team

Thursday 2/12- Quarter 3 Parent/Teacher Conference Night- 4:30-6:30 pm

Friday 2/13- Family Day at the Florida State Fair- Non-Student Day

Monday 2/16- President's Day- Non-Student Day

Thursday 2/19- Senior Panoramic Picture - Gym - 8:30 AM

Friday 2/20- Longhorn Loot Store Open - lunches

Monday 2/23- Club Day

Wednesday 2/25- Chorus Concert 6:00PM

Thursday 2/26- Student Online Safety Workshop 5:00PM- @Collins PreK-8

Monday 3/2- Strawberry Festival Day-Non-Student Day

Wednesday 3/4- SAT Day for Juniors, college reportable

Wednesday 3/4- 9th & 10th grade F.A.S.T. ELA & Math Bootcamps 

Thursday 3/12- CLT Testing for select Juniors and Seniors

Friday 3/13- End of Quarter 3

Monday 3/16-Friday 3/20- Spring Break

Monday 3/23- Non-Student Day

Wednesday 3/25- Lennard JROTC Awards Ceremony 5:30PM

Monday 3/30- Club Day

Wednesday 4/1- F.A.S.T. Writing Test - mandatory state testing

Thursday 4/2- Talent Show 6:00PM

Tues 4/7, Wed 4/8 & Thurs 4/9- ACT Testing-select Juniors/Seniors

Saturday 4/11 - Prom at The Regent

Thursday 4/16- CLT Testing for select Juniors and Seniors

Wednesday 4/22 - Senior Awards Night - by invitation only

Monday 4/27- Club Day

Thursday 4/30- DEADLINE for Senior Gold Letters

Thursday 4/30- Band Spring Concert 6:00 PM

Friday 5/1 - Grad Nite at Busch Gardens

Wednesday 5/6- Chorus Concert 6:00PM

Thursday 5/7- Band/Orchestra Awards Night 6:00PM

Friday 5/15- Class of 2026 Senior Breakfast & Clap Out

Friday 5/15 - Graduation Rehearsal - Florida State Fairgrounds -  4:45 PM

Monday 5/18 & Tuesday 5/19- Senior Exam Days

Wednesday 5/20 & Thursday 5/21- Senior Exams MAKE-UP DAYS

Thursday 5/21- Seniors Last Day

Sunday 5/24 - Graduation Class of 2026 - Florida State Fairgrounds -8:00AM

📣 The Lennard High School HOSA, Medical Honor Society, attended their first Winter Leadership Conference this past Saturday, January 24th. We had over 30 students compete in two different rounds - Round 1 was an assessment and Round 2 was a presentation.  These students were among the Top 10 in our region, which has over 15 schools that participate.

Congratulations to: Charlie Pham - Clinical Laboratory, Bennet Smith & Simone Smith - CPR/First Aid, Claudia Crespo Prieto - Dental Science, Priscila Arias & Maya Atanasova - Emergency Medical Technician, Ava Johnson - Forensic Science, Stephanie Bernal-Medina - Home Health Aide,  Zoey Brady - Medical Spelling, Madison Varoutas - Nutrition, Melanie Lyman - Phlebotomy, Jaliyah Brown - Physical Therapy, and Alicia Vitanza - Respiratory Therapy.

After the competition on Saturday, January 24th, the following students placed within the Top 5 of their categories! Those who placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd have qualified to represent Lennard High School HOSA at the State Leadership Conference in April!

1st Place: Alicia Vitanza - Respiratory Therapy

3rd Place: Bennet Smith & Simone Smith - CPR/First Aid

4th Place: Melanie Lyman - Phlebotomy

5th Place: Claudia Crespo Prieto - Dental Science, Priscila Arias & Maya Atanasova - Emergency Medical Technician, Ava Johnson - Forensic Science, and Zoey Brady - Medical Spelling.

 Please congratulate all of these students for their dedication and hard work over the last few months!

📣 Congratulations, Longhorns! The following students represented Lennard High School at the HABSE 10th Annual Black History Brain Bowl 2026: Kimora Coburn, Mackenzie Easy, Claudia Gutierrez, Asia Mingo and Shawna Sherman. (picture below)

Their hard work, dedication, and teamwork paid off as they earned 1st place in the High School Preliminary Round! These exceptional scholars will advance to the Final Round on February 21st, where they will compete against four other high schools for the championship title. Way to go, Longhorns—keep shining!

📣 Congratulations to the 352 Longhorns who earned Principal's Honor Roll for Quarter 2.  We celebrated these Longhorns with a breakfast and certificates on Wednesday, January 28th.

📣 A huge Longhorn Shoutout to parent, Ms. Dorothy Beck, who volunteered on Friday, January 30th, in our Longhorn Loot store during all lunches! We appreciate your time and dedication to our PBIS store!

📣A huge Longhorn Shoutout to the 228 students who had significant attendance improvement for their period attendance and their daily attendance! Click here - Attendance Works! 

📣 A very special Longhorn Shoutout to our very own Coach Combs.  Coach Combs has accepted an awesome opportunity to continue his coaching career, as the head Flag Football coach, at Indiana Wesleyan University! Congratulations Coach! Thank you for your dedication to Lennard High School, we will miss you!

📣 Thank you to all of the students and staff that supported the Special Olympics (picture below). All of these students did a fantastic job guiding our students throughout the day with kindness and patience. A special thank you to SGA, Lennard Baseball, AAPI, Key Club, and JROTC for helping make this event memorable. A special shoutout to Terrina Taylor and Elite Logos for always making sure that we look our best! This was a great day to be a Longhorn and a powerful reminder of the significance of inclusion. Way to go Longhorns!!

Thank you to Adrianna McGavock-Smith, Cole Kochera, Jacob Solis, Laken Manning, Dalton Vernetti, Kenny Marple, Christian Skaggs, John Brennick, Michael Locke, Anthony Aikens, Austin Will, Connor Adechoubu, Logan Collard, Yovani DePablos, Evan Mavis, Mason Menotti, Julian Ware, Eli Selvey, Tommy Martinez, Ivan Carballo, Ty Johnson, Maximillion Herro, Leo Arias, Carter Stevenson, Iliana Bravo, Kailyn Smith, Hope Hensley, Meredith Coffey-Keller, Nathan Jorden, Noelia Morales, Noah Jorden, Jude Jorden, Yahslyne Nunez, Jayden Lee, Kate Botwinski, Ashley Colvin, Asia Mingo, Lena Phillips, Finley Oliszewski, Ethan Tanny, Brayden White, Maggie Wirth, Daniella Moya, Rita Mae Ewing, Liam Stringer, Tanis (William) Vasquez, Tali Katz, Maya Atanasova, Deja Ruiz, and Abigail Dickerson.

📣 Congratulations and a Longhorn Shoutout to Athena Wint (picture below) who took 2nd place in the Hillsborough County District Poetry Jam. 

Stay connected with Canvas and Focus!

How is my child doing in their classes?  Does my child arrive to school and their classes on time?  Does my child attend all of their assigned classes?

Get answers to these questions and more with the Focus app!

Focus provides access to report cards, daily and period-by-period attendance, class schedules, and other student records.

https://www.hillsboroughschools.org/o/hcps/page/focus

Canvas is the daily hub for instruction, where parents can view grades, assignments, teacher feedback, and even communicate directly with teachers.

Parent accounts sync from Focus to Canvas within 24 hours—just use the same email and set your password via the Canvas Reset Password page.

Download BOTH apps today and take an active role in your child’s success!

More Information on Canvas and Focus

SUBMIT YOUR CHILD'S ABSENCE

Parents/guardians are expected to notify the school the day of the absence. All absence documentation must be submitted within 72 hours of the student’s return to school.

Schools may require additional verification for frequent absences, including medical documentation after any excused absences within a grading period.

Please scan the QR code to submit your child's absence.

Click Here to Submit an Absence

The Longhorn 3! Respectful, Responsible and Safe!

Our Longhorn Loot Store (PBIS Rewards Store) is opening for students, and we need your help to stock it with exciting items to make this a huge success!

Click here to donate via our Amazon Wishlist:

PBIS Store Wishlist

Your donations help us keep the store fresh, motivating, and meaningful for our students. Every contribution makes a difference—thank you for your continued support!

The 2026–27 FAFSA® Form Now Available post-secondary education funding alert!

The FAFSA is open—apply now for free federal student aid and scholarships! Most students are eligible to receive financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college, career school, or trade school.

While income is considered, it isn’t the only factor schools look at when awarding aid.

Apply now: fafsa.ed.gov Don’t wait—deadlines are coming!

Submit yours today: fafsa.gov

Tips to edit and submit your form: https://youtu.be/-vzAh2KEsdE

#FAFSA #CollegeMoney #FinancialAid #FutureReady

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Order your yearbook by clicking this link: Yearbook Order Center

Lennard High School Code: 11065

Senior parents and guardians you can place a Senior Ad through the yearbook order center. 

If your student is interested in playing any sport at Lennard, they must complete the athletic paperwork. More information along with the required paperwork is located on our website.

Athletic Clearance Paperwork -

Athletic paperwork information

Athletic Events Tickets -

Use the following link to purchase tickets to our athletic events: Lennard Athletic Events Tickets

Buy your Longhorn swag -

Please support our athletic teams by purchasing from our teams' stores: Team Sports Merchandise

 Join our Athletic Booster Club -

Athletic Booster Club Membership Form

Please make sure you take the time to review the grade level assembly information presented to students for Semester 2. (Click below to review.) There are updates to our tardy and skipping policies as well as updates to our hall pass procedures.

Our Longhorn expectations for being on time to all classes:

Being on time to class is a key part of every Longhorn's academic success. Students are given 5 minutes between classes, with a 1-minute warning bell to help them stay on track. It’s important that students do not wait for the warning bell to begin heading to class—doing so may result in tardiness.

Students who linger after the warning bell may be escorted to In-School Suspension (ISS) for not following expectations. Arriving to class promptly ensures students don’t miss valuable instructional time and helps maintain a focused learning environment. Students are not allowed to leave class during the first and last ten minutes of each class.

Families, we encourage you to talk with your student about the importance of time management and being present in class. These habits not only support academic achievement but also build responsibility and respect for the school community.

You can check period by period attendance through the HCPS Focus App. Please download it today.

Leaving Campus Policy

Students who need to leave campus after they have arrived at school must be signed out through the main office of Student Affairs. At no time, is it permitted, for any student to leave our campus, through any of the gates, without expressed permission from the Office of Student Affairs. Parents, please have a conversation with your child to remind them how unsafe it is for them to leave campus when they are supposed to be in school.  

Dress Code Policy

Please review the dress code verbiage from the HCPS Student Code of Conduct on Page 28. Student Code of Conduct & Resource Guide

Some of the most common violations we are seeing are girls wearing tops that expose the shoulders or midriff/torso area and boys wearing ski masks, which are not allowed.

Disciplinary consequences are being applied for students not complying.

Student ID Policy

All students must wear their school ID visibly at ALL times. The IDs must be physically on their bodies, preferably on a lanyard (not attached to backpacks or purses).

All students have received their IDs at this time.

Any replacement ID is now $10 and can be ordered in the Media Center during the day (2nd and 3rd periods in Student Affairs).

IDs are required at all school events and must be visible at all times.

ID Policy is in the Student Assemblies Presentation.

Longhorn Student Expectations!

Please continue to review Lennard's policies and expectations with your student(s) — especially dress code, mandatory ID, and the State of Florida law wireless device policies as well as all behavior expectations.

Consequences will be applied for students that are not following the school's policies. The policies and expectations apply at all extra-curricular activities.

Students that are assigned In-School Suspension (ISS) or Out-of-School Suspension (OSS) are not allowed to attend or participate in any extra-curricular activities, including athletic events during the suspension.

Arrival and Dismissal

The hours for Early Release Mondays are 8:40 AM to 2:40 PM. Student hours Tuesday through Friday are 8:40 AM to 3:40 PM. All school gates will remain locked until 8:10 am.  At 8:10 AM, the buses will release students on the bus ramp, and the Student Affairs gate located off the Student Parking Lot will be opened.

Any student who arrives tardy to school before 8:50 AM needs to go directly to their First Period class through the black gate next to the main office in the front of the school. 

Students who arrive after 8:50 AM need to sign in at the main office before going to the First Period class. 

Please remember it is the expectation that every student is in his/her First Period class by the 8:40 tardy bell.

Carline Safety Reminder

Parents, to ensure the safety of all students, do not park on the car loop and turn around without completing the entire loop. This is extremely dangerous and cannot continue.

All students must cross at the crosswalk when crossing the street. Any student that does not cross at the crosswalk, at the corner, can be cited by the Sheriff’s Office for $75.00 fine. It is extremely dangerous to cross in the middle of the road when crossing the street.

We appreciate everyone's cooperation.

Breakfast & Lunch Information

We want to remind you that both breakfast and lunch are free for all students this year. In the cafeteria there are different options available for lunch, and there are additional A La Carte snack items that students can purchase separately.

Please ensure that students arrive to school on time to be able to enjoy a hearty breakfast to start their day. Also, students are not allowed to order food delivery or leave campus to get food.

Breakfast and Lunch Menus

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL PARENTS AND STUDENTS

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR MINORS TO MAINTAIN THEIR DRIVING PRIVILEGE

State of Florida Law requires that students, 14 to 18 years of age, who have not earned a high school diploma, who have 15 unexcused absences in any period of 90 calendar days, be ineligible for driving privileges.

School districts are required by this legislation to report to the State of Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), the names of any students who have accumulated 15 unexcused absences in any period of 90 calendar days.

The student who is reported will be informed by the DHSMV that his/her name has been received and he/she may lose the privilege to drive. Should a student be contacted by DHSMV with information, he/she may initiate a request for a hardship waiver or a request for reinstatement of driving privilege through the Office of Student Affairs. A hardship for employment is based on verification of need. The factor to be considered is the extent to which a student provides a substantial financial contribution for his or her livelihood or his or her family’s needs.

A hardship for medical care is based on the need for transportation, for the student or his or her immediate family members living in the same household, to access required treatment. Consideration should be given to whether there are any other licensed drivers residing in the household.

Effective January 5, 1999, students who accumulate 15 unexcused absences in any period of 90 calendar days will be reported by the school to the DHSMV. Please follow the attendance procedure that has been established to excuse absences when appropriate.